>> welcome to the "journal," coming to you from dw in berlin. >> our top story this hour. a tax-evasion probe widens at deutsche bank. now the co-ceo is under investigation. >> a boost for opponents boostassad. -- for opponents of assad. >> and germany's would ballclubs get tough on security, but will the fans stay away -- and germany's football clubs get

tough on security, but will the fans stay away? but it has been a dramatic day for one of the world's biggest banks. after deutsche bank's headquarters were raided by hundreds of police, now it's co- ceo is in the spotlight. >> deutsche bank says that jurgen fitschen has been drawn into the probe. he and the company's chief financial officer are being investigated for signing questionable tax declarations. >> it is a blow for fitschen, who only took the helm this june. >> it was a rude awakening for deutsche bank employees as more than 20 police vans pulled up at their headquarters in frankfurt on wednesday morning. hundreds of police officers raided the building, confiscated documents, and arrested five bankers in a money-laundering scandal that is estimated to have crossed germany hundreds of

millions in lost taxes. >> we are investigating 25 individuals on suspicion of serious tax evasion, obstruction of justice, and money laundering. the suspects are accused of knowingly failing to report money laundering activities and seeking to cover up evidence. >> a deutsche bank co-chief executive, jurgen fitschen, is also under investigation for signing the company boss 2009 tax declaration. the bank maintains it was amended in a timely way. how much fitschen knew about the scheme remains to be discovered. traders bought emission permits in one eu country, paying no value added tax, resold them, and then claimed back tax illegally. which of unmanaged some of the shady accounts. it is the second -- deutsche bank managed some of the shady

accounts. it is the second raid on the bank. this may be the tip of the iceberg for germany's biggest bank. >> our chief correspondent is falling this story for us now -- is following this story for us now. possibly that of the iceberg -- the tip of the iceberg. >> this report and then goes back a couple of years. this is one of the biggest raids so far. authorities they have good reason to believe the bank's co- ceo was involved in illegal activity. as your report said come fitschen and the -- said, fitschen and the bank are claiming that the talks documents -- the tax documents were amended in time. it does look like an attempt to play fast and loose with value added tax reporting, and that is a very big public-relations

disaster for the bank because it comes on top of a number of other investigations, all of them asking some questions about credibility of the bank. at a time when both ceos had claimed -- ceo's had claimed they were providing more transparency and more responsibility. >> this is germany's biggest financial institution by far. how damaging is this credibility -- this to their credibility? >> some of the other investigations include manipulation of the libor rate. that scandal has damaged a number of british banks. there are several investigations in the u.s. by the securities and exchange commission concerning whether deutsche bank under reported risk in connection with mortgage securities and derivatives.

that is particularly ironic. during the financial crisis, deutsche bank was very pleased that it did not call for -- ask for government help, did not ask for a bailout, and it came to the crisis allegedly unscathed. all of this casting doubt about whether deutsche bank's reputation is as golden as it was thought to be. >> thank you very much for joining us, melinda. >> we turn to the markets. the tax-evasion probe was the governing topic there, too. have this report from the frankfurt stock exchange. in the investigation against deutsche bank have been the big issue on the frankfurt -- >> the investigation against which a bank have been the big issue. the co-ceo is under investigation. experts fear there might be heavy image problems for deutsche bank, not because of

these investigations, but also because of the fact that there might have been market manipulations made by deutsche bank, and also because of the fact that the whistleblower accused deutsche bank of hiding losses in the balance sheets. deutsche bank shares have been only slightly down while the market continued to rally and finished on the highest level since more than four years. >> let's take a quick look at some market numbers. the dax closed 8/ -- 1/3 of 1" up. -- 1/3 of 1% up. dow jones is at 13,300. the euro is trading at 1.3083. the un security council has issued a statement condemning north korea's rocket launched during an urgent meeting to discuss a possible international

-- rocket launch during enan urgent meeting to discuss a possible international response. >> the north korea claims it put a weather satellite into orbit. but its neighbors, japan and south korea, as well as the u.s., believe it was a disguised as for long-range missiles -- disguised test for long-range missiles. >> president obama announced the u.s. would formally recognize the coalition of syrian opposition groups. >> that endorsement came as the friends of syria group met in morocco to discuss ways of ending the conflict. >> this internet footage purports to show the aftermath of explosions on the outskirts of the syrian capital of damascus. two other explosions were reported targeting the interior ministry and the justice ministry. state-run television reported at

least one death and several injuries in what it called terrorist attacks. as the violence continued on the ground, diplomacy continued elsewhere. representatives of 130 countries met with opposition figures in morocco. the so-called friends of syria group recognized the opposition as the legitimate representative of the syrian people. following the lead of the eel and the u.s. -- of the eu and the u.s. >> this is an important step. we think it is important the national coalition continue to work on democratic and -- on the democratic platform. this is the new and democratic syria. this is a serious in which -- a syria in which all other religious and ethnic groups have a clear place. >> the secretary general of the arab league also said the situation had not changed.

>> we have a new national leadership -- has now changed. >> we have a new national leadership. the fighting has now reached damascus. that shows the current regime is on its last legs. >> at the meeting in marrakesh, the friends of syria agreed to set up a plan for reconstruction efforts in a post-assad syria. it aims to finance propositions, but may not be used -- to finance reconstruction propositions, but may not be used for weapons. >> egyptians abroad have begun voting on the proposed constitutions at the center -- proposed constitution. at the center of the campaign, the opposition says they will call for a no vote, but not call for a boycott of the referendum,

which gets under way this weekend. >> law makers in germany have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new law to guarantee the rights of the low religious circumcision -- to guarantee the right of religious circumcision to young boys. there had been a ban on the practice, causing dismay in the jewish and muslim communities. >> the new legislation finally provides clarity. it will also come as a relief to germany's jewish and muslim communities. the age-old tradition was thrown into question earlier this year when a court in cologne ruled that it amounted to bodily harm. the new legislation confirms circumcision as legal under certain conditions. >> we will only perform the circumcision if both parents give their express consent. we will provide detailed information beforehand about the possible complications. >> jews and muslims view

circumcision as an indispensable part of their religious identity. a large majority of lawmakers in parliament working to have a law that reflects back -- in parliament were keen to have a law that reflects that. >> they have to be performed to modern medical standards. the person performing the surgery must have a qualification comparable to a doctor. these provisions ensure the protection of the child. >> i believe the principle of religious tolerance remains at the core of the great heritage of european enlightenment. but in the wake of the vote, it is now clear the circumstance it -- >> in the wake of the vote, it is now clear that circumcision will remain legal. >> we take a look at the life and times of ravi shankar. >> but first, a roundup of other stories making headlines right now. two days after the coup in

mali, there is a new prime minister. the former prime minister quit on tuesday under military pressure. it is the second coup in the troubled west african nation this year. >> venezuela's president hugo chávez has undergone another operation for cancer. vice president nicolas maduro, who is currently standing in for the president, says that he is facing a complex recovery. it was chavez's fourth operation since he was diagnosed with cancer last year. >> a gun and in the state of oregon has opened fire at a busy shopping mall -- a gunman in the u.s. state of oregon has opened fire at a busy shopping mall. police believe he was acting alone. >> he brought indian music to the world and to the beatles. ravi shankar has died at the

age of 92. in the india's prime minister manmohan singh has led the tribute -- >> india's prime minister manmohan singh has led the tribute. he has been called the godfather of world music. in many put ravishing car -- >> many put ravi shankar on par with mozart. he taught torturous and how to play the -- he taught george harrison how to play the sitar. >> because of his sincerity -- he really wanted to know so much about our music. the mid-1960s, at the height of the hippie movement, -- >> in the 1960's, at the height of the hippie movement, he took the

sitar mainstream. but he was equally at home in the classical concert hall. >> he took our culture to the greatest height. ok. sitar, india. sitar, ravi shankar. it has made him immortal through this music. >> ravi shankar will now be awarded his fourth grammy award posthumously. he influenced many great performers, including his daughters. one of them is a virtuoso sitar player. and jazz singer norah jones. >> beautiful. coming up after the break -- what to do about unruly football fans. >> the german football league has agreed to tighten stadium security. the rules are going down very

badly with the fans themselves, who been protesting at bundesliga -- who have been protesting at bundesliga matches. >> stick around.

>> welcome back. the bundesliga have agreed to a number of pressures -- the number of proposals. but it includes -- >> there will completely eliminate -- >> they will completely eliminate flares. >> there have been protests from fan groups. >> scenes like these have led to heated debates over safety in german football stadiums.

the shocking images thea fan storming -- images of a fan storming the pitch and lighting flares. club representatives were under huge pressure when they met in frankfurt to vote on the proposals. they voted overwhelmingly in favor. >> football does not have a problem with safety, but there is a need to optimize it in some places. >> our view is that these new rules bring us closer to that. >> two controversial proposals had been altered shortly before the meeting. they concerned cover checks on fans entering the stadium and limiting the number of tickets available to away fans. >> i hope that the dialogue will continue and the clubs will find solutions at their own grounds with their own fans.

>> but fans are certain to continue their demonstrations against the new regulations. hundreds of fans protesting the meeting in frankfurt made that clear. >> by international standards, germany is pretty relaxed when it comes to regulating soccer fans at stadiums. >> and the fans pride themselves on their tradition of self regulation. time to take a look at how they have been the -- have been dealing with the violence. >> these german football fans are angry, but they are not shouting and they are not singing either. are protesting in silence. for the past be doubly, -- they are protesting in silence. for the past two weeks, they have begun each match with 12 minutes of silence.

>> we need to preserve our fan culture. with these 12 minutes of silence, we want to show what football could look like if politicians keep pressuring the german football league and the league gives in.. federal >> and state interior ministers had -- >> federal and state interior ministers had called for improvements in security. the images looked terrible, but no one was actually injured during the matches. many fans say fireworks have nothing to do with violence. >> they are an expression of emotion. it is a weak argument when people talk about violence with pictures of stands burning in the background. >> fans point to statistics suggesting that, on average, there are less than two injuries per bundesliga match. fan club representatives from all the teams met at the end of november. they agree the problem of

violence in german football stadiums has been exaggerated by the media. >> many regular visitors to the stadium do not feel unsafe. the laws of the marketplace would suggest that stadiums will be empty if people felt afraid to go. the stadiums are fuller than ever. the bundesliga, which sells well as event, and draws millions of spectators, needs the fans. they still have not learned how to deal with us. >> many fans feel misunderstood. this fan says the new security proposals punish everyone for the wrongdoings of just a few. >> normal fans are being harassed. there is even a threat that we will have to remove all are closed in a tent before every match. we think that is completely unnecessary. we are not criminals. >> they want an end to the silence.

the fans are demanding their voices heard. >> our sports correspondent is joining us in the studio. there is one guy worried about strip searches before matches. isn't that blowing it out of proportion? >> of the searches will be pretty thorough, but that is only because -- some of the searches will be pretty thorough, but that is only because some fans persisted in bringing illegal flares into the stadium. banning things like face coverings so that trouble makers can get a kick out -- get picked out on cctv. it is not that politicians are on a personal crusade against football. the nuclear option of banning standing space is altogether is off the table -- standing spaces

all together is off the table. any protests passed to remain peaceful and proportional. i think we'll probably see a few more -- any protests have to remain peaceful and proportional. i think we'll probably see a few more silent 12 minutes. they will get back to what they do best, cheering their team on. >> how safe is it really at german stadiums? >> it is really safe. it is about two people injured per match, and that is over a two-year timeframe. governor it to octoberfest, where 10,000 people are -- compared it to octoberfest -- to compared to oktoberfest, where 10,000 people are injured every year. it is important that the etf

minority who do cause trouble -- the idiot minority who do cause trouble don't win. >> police are looking for two new suspects. >> whoever was involved, police say the contents of the bad were highly dangerous and could have caused massive damage -- the bag were highly dangerous and could have caused massive damage. >> it seemed like they had quickly solved the case, but it was a false lead. two men were arrested and later released. >> when we take people into custody, we have to abide by due process. we had no reason to carry on questioning the two men, so we had to let them go. >> initially, suspicion was cast on islamist extremists, but

police say are not operating solely on the assumption of terrorism. investigators say they want to find an question this man, who witnesses saw in the bag at the station. they also want to speak to another man who was seen on a nearby surveillance camera. federal prosecutors say it is not certain this was a terrorist attack. >> we could only take over the investigation if this were the case. however, we will continue to keep up-to-date with the current investigation and any developments so that we can constantly assessing our own jurisdiction here. -- constantly assess all alone jurisdiction here. >> the officials confirmed the device was extremely dangerous. police are still trying to find the detonator. >> the marco polo is the biggest container ship in the world. wednesday marked the first time

t docked in the port of hamburg. it can transport more than 16,000 containers and is bigger than an aircraft carrier. if everything goes according to plan, it will raise anchor and steer for international waters on thursday evening. the european parliament has awarded the prize for freedom of thought in absentia of two human-rights activists currently serving jail sentences. >> they were recognized for their efforts toward political change in iran. the prize is also a tribute to the iranian people. >> two prizes, two chairs, but the prize winners were nowhere in sight. the iranian activists being honored were absent, and not by choice. one of them is in prison. her fellow laureate does not

have permission to leave iran. the eu distinguished both for their steadfastness in the face of a harsh regime. it is also a message directed at the powers that be in tehrqan. -- tehran. >> it tells the regime, you are being watched. the victims who we are honoring today are our friends and allies. >> the iranian human rights activist and nobel prize winner thanked the eu in her place, but her words were also critical -- in their place, but her words were also critical. >> international organizations have not helped. >> the filmmaker's daughter was allowed to travel to france, standing with eu leaders to take the prize that her father could not collect himself.

>> wednesday is a special day for many couples around the world to have chosen december 12, 2012, as their wedding date. >> 12 pairs of brides and grooms tied the knot at one ceremony in hong kong. for the chinese, the number 12 has another special meaning. it symbolizes unity. 12/12/12 is a pretty easy date to remember, so there is no excuse to forget your anniversary. you are already married. >> i married on friday the 13th. >> also not an easy anniversary to forget. >> see you soon. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--